Harvey Nichols has avoided a ban from the advertising watchdog for its "Walk of Shame" TV ad, despite complaints that it was offensive and stereotyped women who have casual sex.

The campaign, which ran in December 2011, featured scenes of a variety of dishevelled women wearing short, figure-hugging dresses heading home after a one-night stand.

The TV advert, which encouraged women viewers to share their "#walkofshame" stories on Twitter, ended with a thin, glamorous model wearing one of the retailer's outfits sweeping confidently into her house the morning after the night before.

The Advertising Standards Authority received seven complaints that the ad was offensive and sexist, especially to women who choose to have casual sex, and suggested that only wealthy women who have one-night stands could feel proud.

Harvey Nichols said the aim of the campaign was to "raise a smile by reminding people of a familiar hazard of the Christmas party season".

"[That of] waking up somewhere unfamiliar the day after a night out and having to embark on the journey home in attire that was less than suitable for the morning rush hour," the company said.

The retailer added that the idea was to show that women did not have any reason to be ashamed, that society tended to be judgmental and that a woman's choice of outfit could playfully show that she could also have a "stride of pride".

Google, which hosted the ad on YouTube, said it did not break any rules and had received no formal complaints. However, Google noted that some YouTube users "had posted critical comments below the ad".

The ASA said it would be understood by viewers that the "walk of shame" meant that the women had had "casual sex the previous night" and that some people might find the ad "distasteful".

The watchdog admitted that the ad showed women who were "dishevelled and uncomfortable", but that the final scene showed a woman who "appeared neat and confident".

"We considered the ad did not, therefore, reinforce negative stereotypes of women generally, or women who chose to have casual sex in particular, nor that it was sexist or demeaning to women," said the ASA. "We ... [also] considered the ad did not imply that lower-class women who had one-night stands should feel shame whilst more wealthy women should feel proud, or that it mocked less wealthy women who did not have 'model' figures."

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